Meet the Black MasterMind Behind Google’s Gemini

Jules Walter is a stalwart product leader at the helm of birthing one of the transformative technologies in the 21st century. 

For almost a decade, he has been one of the masterminds behind some of the most innovative software programs in the world. Walter has worked as a Product Leader at Storefront, Slack, YouTube, and now Google’s Gemini.

The Harvard University MBA grad was the Head of Product Management at Storefront, leading product design and engineering. At Slack, Walter led the Mobile Growth team and later the Monetization team. He played a significant role in 10x the company’s growth. Walter is also a Board Member and Co-founder of CodePath.org and the Black Product Managers Network.

Today he is a Product Leader for Google’s Gemini (fka Bard). Google has recently launched Gemini, an upgraded version of Bard, its generative AI chatbot. The new AI language model has many exciting new features that can help with life’s littlest and biggest tasks.

As one of the leading Product Leaders working on Gemini,  we caught up with Jules to explore his thoughts on the next-gen AI model.

Briefly introduce your work experience and time at Google 

I grew up in Haiti and was always curious about how things work.  My love for math and sciences led me to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, where I studied computer science. 

After college, I became interested in improving people’s lives, so I worked in West Africa to improve healthcare access. I witnessed firsthand the tremendous impact technology can have on people’s lives. Then, I decided to join the tech world, worked at various startups, and was at Slack during its early days.  

I joined Google over three years ago and am now working on Gemini (formerly known as Bard), which I’m excited about because it’s so great to be involved in a product in its infancy that can impact people’s lives! 

Describe Gemini (formerly known as Bard) to a six-year-old. 

I think of Gemini as a smart friend who has read lots of books and content on the internet, who can recite information it’s learned in different languages, help you understand complex topics, answer questions, and generate new ideas or content. For example, I’ve asked Gemini to write a fun bedtime story about a young boy who saved a town from an evil monster.

Beyond travel & daily planning, how do you think the technology will improve people’s lives?

I think Gemini will help people be more creative and productive daily!  Gemini is a possibility generator more than just an answer generator – it can make you more creative than you ever thought possible. We are so used to technology that does things for us. 

Gemini does stuff with you and opens up a world of possibility by helping bring people’s ideas to life. This is more than we ever expected – it’s giving people a tool to expand their ideas; it’s not just a novelty. It’s a real utility.  

Highlight three ways Gemini is better than any other Generative AI? 

We have a mantra at Google: “focus on the user, and all else will follow”. That’s how we’ve approached Gemini –  focusing on what people tell us they want with the technology – and we believe this is a crucial differentiator. 

For instance, people wanted a more visual experience, so we built a way for Gemini to analyze your photos with Google Lens. For example, you can take a picture of a dish you saw at a party or restaurant and ask Gemini for a recipe. 

We’ve also connected Gemini to Google’s apps – like Gmail, Maps, and YouTube (Docs, Drive, Flights, and Hotels). This provides a more personal experience when using generative AI.  For example, you can ask Gemini to summarize emails about your upcoming Spring vacation, plan an itinerary with suggested restaurants for your weekend getaway with friends, or even help you plan a special date night.  

On a scale of 1-10, how accurate would you rank the answers provided by Gemini? How does Generative AI eliminate misinformation and disinformation? 

We’ve said from the beginning that hallucinations, presenting false information as fact convincingly, are a known challenge with large language models. We’ve done extensive work – and Gemini has had the most comprehensive safety evaluations of any Google AI model to date, including for bias and toxicity. 

Also, we’ve added a “Google it” button to help users double-check Gemini’s answers more quickly. When you click on the “G” icon, Gemini will read the response and evaluate whether there is content across the web to substantiate it. 

When a statement can be assessed, you can click the highlighted phrases and learn more about similar or differing information found by Search, and, when available, find a link to visit the related content. This feature will automatically run when new Gemini users ask their first factual question. 

How do you see Gemini interacting with and potentially influencing the development of other artificial intelligence systems? 

Artificial intelligence is a transformational technology that can bring meaningful and positive change to people and societies worldwide. We’ve been bringing AI into our products and services for over a decade and making them available to our users. 

Generative AI is just one element of AI, and we are excited to see and learn from how people interact with Gemini.  User feedback is instrumental in determining the features we build, as Gemini is there to help you get more done and unleash your creativity!

What new features and functions should we expect from Gemini?

2023 was just the beginning for Gemini. We are in the early days of this new technology, and AI is the next frontier of innovation.  As we look to this year and beyond, our vision is to create the best personal AI in the world. 

For example, we’ve heard from users that they want an easier way to access Gemini on their phone, so last week, we started rolling out the Gemini app on Android and within the Google app on iOS. This new mobile experience brings our latest AI capabilities to your device so you can get help whenever and wherever you need it.  

You can type, talk, or share an image with Gemini to get help.  You can even take a picture of your flat tire and ask for the next steps, generate a custom image for your dinner party invitation, or ask for help writing a complex text message.  

We also just announced Gemini 1.0 Ultra, our most capable, state-of-the-art model that is far more capable at highly complex tasks like creative collaboration or following nuanced instructions.  

For instance, let’s say you’re a digital creator or entrepreneur: it can help you go from ideas to creation – by generating fresh content, analyzing recent trends, and brainstorming improved ways to grow your audiences. This is just the start of our second year – and now that we are in the Gemini era – I am excited about how we are working to build the best personal AI in the world. Subscribe. Share. Stay Tuned. The revolution will not be televised. 2raw4tv.tv